With Arsenal and Tottenham losing this weekend, Manchester United had a chance to regain ground to get to the coveted fourth spot. However, their hopes were dashed as David De Gea was behind another fatal error which gave Chelsea an equaliser and the spoils were shared in the end. For Chelsea, it was more like a point gained whereas United definitely dropped two as they continue to sit on the sixth spot of the Premier League table.
Manchester United started on the ascendency, and they made it count as Juan Mata scored the opener. Chelsea slowly negated the tough period, but they should have gone in behind at half time. De Gea spilled a long-range attempt from Rudiger which was scored by Marcos Alonso who was following up.
The second half was evenly matched, but Chelsea were comfortable for the most parts. The game opened up in the end as the Red Devils pressed for a winner but it wasn’t forthcoming.
Here is how Ole’s men fared in the game against the Blues.
David De Gea 3
Has cost his team a lot in the past few months and it was again one of those days. Should have gobbled up Rudiger’s attempt but the Spaniard failed to gather it. Made one crucial save in the end by closing the angle quickly on Higuain.
Eric Bailly 6.5
Was coming back from an injury and again went off injured. Did well overall and even came close to scoring through a set piece.
Victor Lindelof 7
Read the situation well and made some important interceptions. Looked calm when in possession.
Luke Shaw 7
Created quite a few chances for his side down the left. Assisted the goal for Mata and did a commendable job defensively as well.
Ashley Young 6.5
Put in some dangerous crosses and set pieces. Kept Hazard under check for the most parts.
Nemanja Matic 6.5
Started strongly as he moved the ball quickly and went snapping into some challenges. Eased off as the game went by but a decent performance overall.
Ander Herrera 7
Work rate is what he is known for, and that is exactly what he provided. Pressed like a maniac and covered every blade of grass. Moved the ball well.
Paul Pogba 6
Had a mixed bag of a game. Impressed on occasions. On other instances, tried a bit too hard when he could have kept things simple. Played at an impressive tempo and linked up play well.
Juan Mata 7
Positioned himself well to score the opener. Linked up play well in the attacking third.
Romelu Lukaku 5.5
Ran out of steam in the second half but looked impressive in the first. Missed a chance when Shaw found him with a good ball. Guilty of being lazy and was often caught offside in the end phase of the game.
Marcus Rashford 5
Troubled the Chelsea defence with his pace on occasions. However, he tried a bit too much with the ball at his feet. Needs to improve his on the ball decision making.
Substitute
Alexis Sanchez 4
Hardly created any impact after coming on. Wasn’t even clear what position he was playing in as he was all over the place.
Marcos Rojo 4
A quintessential Argentine defender. Could have easily seen red twice. Lucky that his side continued with 11 men on the pitch. Came close to scoring in the end but his headed attempt was cleared off the line by Pedro.
Scott McTominay 6
Definitely deserves to start over some big names. Worked hard and held up the ball well.
